Mr Editor:
This letter is in response to the article: Hall Memorial Park tennis players fight to save courts from pickle ball conversion
The tennis group’s biggest argument is: “These are OUR courts and we are entitled to them forever.
The courts are owned by the City of Milpitas and the City is responsible for making the best use of the space for the entire city. Not just the tennis community or even the local community, which may already have as many pickleball players as tennis players.
There are 25 tennis courts in Milpitas (including 4 at Hall Park). All are within a 10-minute drive of Hall Park. There are 2 outdoor pickleball courts (excluding Hall Park) in Milpitas. The 2 courts are not lit for playing at night.
The number of pickleball players in Milpitas could already surpass that of tennis after just one year.
The only park lots in the city far enough away from residents to avoid noise problems are Gill and Hall Park. The 3 courts at Gill Park are widely used by the tennis community.
Hall was selected for the Pickleball pilot program due to its distance from residence halls and low usage of tennis.
Hall was a huge success! Last summer we had over 70 players waiting to share the 6 pickleball courts (24 players at a time playing doubles).). From 6 p.m. to 10 p.m., there would be about 150 different people playing pickleball every night! Meanwhile, the tennis courts would be mostly empty!
Verify usage data collected by the City, not false information presented by the tennis community.
The data for daytime pickleball use in Hall and Gill is comparable to the volume of nighttime pickleball use. We’re talking about 300 different people playing pickleball every day! And the use of pickleball continues to grow at a very rapid rate.
The usage data was collected over several months by City employees who kept a low profile.
The data confirms that all courts are used for pickleball.
Early this year, the Milpitas Pickleball Club recommended that at least one tennis court remain at Hall Park. We thought it was appropriate, given the history of tennis at Hall Park and the desire of the tennis and pickleball communities to work together. Our goal from the beginning has been to be a good member of the community and not just look out for our own best interests.
I have had interactions with some of the tennis leaders to share our direction. I suggested the possibility of using the MHS tennis courts for Milpitas residents outside of school hours. This is a layout used by many cities in the area (Palo Alto, San Jose, Saratoga, etc.). Given that several members of the current Milpitas City Council have highlighted their past MUSD experience and ability to work together for a common benefit, this seems like a reasonable topic to discuss. I have shared this with some, but not all, members of the town. This is where city council leadership is needed.
Despite what the tennis community has said, they have had numerous opportunities to participate in discussions about the use of Hall Park.
There were posters all over Hall Park before the pilot program was finalized in 2022. No one from the tennis community took the time to participate.
There were posters and other notices from the town announcing the September 25, 2023 community meeting. I personally sent a copy of the community meeting to one of the tennis executives. I wanted the tennis community to be involved in the discussion! No one from the tennis community showed up (maybe one).
From what I understand, approximately 200 people responded to the online survey, with 60 of them identified as tennis players. How is it possible that the tennis community was not aware of the investigation when 30% were tennis players?
The tennis community seems to think we should leave until the city finds an available property, the funds to purchase the property for over a million dollars for just 8 courts. Want us to drive 30+ minutes to another city with already crowded courts? Empty tennis courts exist in Milpitas and are only a 6-10 minute drive away if needed.
Members of the tennis community are posting on the Milpitas Pickleball Club Facebook page in an attempt to start arguments. Messages like: “It doesn’t matter if there are a million pickleball players waiting. You don’t eliminate tennis courts just because no one plays on a certain day or night.
Perhaps they should show us the same respect and understanding that we have shown them.
Stephen Balsbaugh
President of the Milpitas Pickleball Club
